By Dr. Dalal Akoury Dr. Dalal Akoury June 23, 2015

How to treat an addiction to painkillers: Addiction is not a weakness

The power behind drug addiction is not something that you can under estimate by all standards. We have mentioned time and again that drug addiction has and does not have boundaries everybody can be affected anytime and anywhere. And when it comes, it carries with it a host of other serious problems that are life threatening. It is therefore necessary that when talking about this problem, we must shun a way from diversionary remarks and face the problem head on. I am trying to say that opioid addiction is not a moral or mental weakness. It’s a chronic medical condition that results from changes in the brain in susceptible people. Once narcotic addiction has developed, escaping the cycle of detox and relapse is typically a long-term process. With that explanation we must ask questions to find answers to those questions. Like for instance will knowing how to treat an addiction to painkillers help? This is what we want to find out from the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center.

This facility was established by doctor Dalal Akoury primarily to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. It will interest you to know that Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Getting into the discussion, doctor Akoury says that breaking away from prescription drug abuse takes much more than willpower. However, the application of medications and counseling can improve the chances of success she says. With the advent of newer drugs like buprenorphine (sometimes combined with naloxone) and naltrexone and traditional therapies like methadone and 12-step programs, many people are able to stay on the road to recovery and get their lives back on truck.

How to treat an addiction to painkillers: Physical dependence and detoxification

Narcotic addiction is not friendly to human health and causes real changes in certain areas of the brain. When treating this it is important to note that prescription drug addiction alters the circuits responsible for mood and “reward” behaviors. And in addition to that, long-term prescription drug abuse affects virtually all the systems in the body. Besides that, cutting off the supply abruptly will lead to opioid withdrawal symptoms. The following are some of the symptoms of opioid withdrawal:

Chills and goose bumps (the origin of the phrase “cold turkey”)
Nausea and vomiting
Craving for drugs
Yawning
Diarrhea
Large pupils
Abdominal pain
Body aches
Agitation and severe negative moods

How to treat an addiction to painkillers: Medications for Opioid Withdrawal

Opioid withdrawal is difficult to endure, and is a major reason for relapse and continued prescription drug abuse. Medications are used to prevent symptoms of opioid withdrawal during detox, easing the person out of physical dependence:

Methadone – this is a long-acting opioid drug. It activates the same opioid receptors as narcotics, effectively eliminating withdrawal symptoms. Providing the correct dose of methadone prevents opioid withdrawal symptoms and eases drug craving but it does not provide the euphoria. The dose can be slowly tapered off, freeing the person from physical dependence without withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is the most effective known treatment for narcotic addiction.

Buprenorphine and Naloxone (Suboxone) – this is a newer combination drug that helps for detox from prescription opioid addiction. Buprenorphine activates opioid receptors, reducing drug craving and preventing withdrawal. Naloxone helps prevent misuse of the medication.

Clonidine – this is a blood pressure medicine that acts on the brain. Clonidine reduces the effects of the “fight or flight” response, which is over-activated during opioid withdrawal. However, clonidine does nothing to reduce drug craving, and is mostly ineffective when used alone.

Rapid detox programs – claim to accelerate the process of detox and opioid withdrawal by giving large doses of opioid blocking drugs. Some programs place an addict under general anesthesia during the detox process. These programs have not proven to be more effective than traditional methods of detox, and may be more dangerous.

How to treat an addiction to painkillers: Maintenance therapy after detox

The reason why detoxification is very important is because detox subdues and neutralizes the physical effects of narcotic addiction and opioid withdrawal. Experts are saying that even though detoxification is the first step mainly for the subduing the physical effects, it has very little to do with the psychological and social factors which are the main drivers that push addicts back and succumb to relapse. All stressful and other situations that remind the brain of the drug’s pleasure are also common triggers.

When drug cravings strike, they can be impossible to resist. Most people who go through detox and short-term counseling will relapse to prescription drug abuse.

Methadone is the best-studied, most effective method of recovery from narcotic addiction. Suboxone, while newer, has gained wide acceptance as maintenance therapy.

Some people have a high rate of relapse when maintenance therapy is stopped, and so they remain on the medicines for decades. In others, maintenance therapy is tapered off over months to years.

How to treat an addiction to painkillers: Counseling and 12-Step Programs

Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is an international network of community-based meetings for those recovering from drug addiction. Modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), NA is a 12-step program with a defined process for overcoming narcotic addiction.

NA is an abstinence-based program. In principle, NA is opposed to the use of maintenance therapy. Methadone Anonymous is a 12-step program that acknowledges the value of methadone or Suboxone in recovery from narcotic addiction. Most experts and treatment centers recommend participation in a 12-step program or other form of counseling. Therapy can take place as an outpatient, or in a residential facility. Alternatives to 12-step programs may include cognitive behavioral therapy, family and couples therapy and motivational interviewing. Finally you must be ready for this financially because recovery from prescription drug addiction can be costly. However, it is far less costly in comparison with the cost of addiction and continuous use of drugs. Therefore embracing the principal of prevention should be very ideal but because of the environment we live in, this may be very difficult to achieve effectively. But even if this is the case, all is not lost because there is still hope in the professional treatment offered by experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury. you can schedule for an appointment with her today for the commencement of your treatment.